This is just depressing: The owner of Dell's Maraschino Cherries, one of America's biggest cocktail-cherry companies, took his own life yesterday after police showed up at the factory in Red Hook. The authorities were technically there, per The Daily News, to investigate illegal waste dumping, but soon discovered that, in addition to cranking out cherries for drinks and desserts at chains like TGI Fridays, Red Lobster, and Chick-fil-A, the facility was also doubling as a marijuana grow house.

According to reports, Arthur Mondella was calm at first, until police found a secret door in a room full of vintage cars. It apparently led to another room that "looks like a cave" and was emitting an "overwhelming" marijuana smell. Suddenly, per the Post's source, Mondella "asked to use the bathroom, he went in the bathroom, and, 'Boom.'" Police recovered a .357 Magnum in the bathroom, plus three bags of pot and hundreds of thousands of dollars elsewhere in the factory. Before shooting himself, Mondella told his sister, "Take care of my kids."

Place the flour, xanthan gum, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. While the machine is running, gradually drizzle in the water, processing until the dough comes together to form a ball.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and shape it into a flat disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. (The dough can be frozen for up to a month; thaw in the refrigerator before using.)
One 9- or 10-inch pie shell

Directions
Roll out the pie dough on a lightly floured surface to fit a 9- or 10-inch deep-dish pie plate. Fit the dough into the pie plate and crimp the edges decoratively. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes or up to a day.
Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator and line it with aluminum foil. Fill the shell with ceramic pie weights or dried beans, and bake for 13 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges. Remove the foil and weights, return the shell to the oven, and bake for 3 minutes.

Remove the pie crust from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Lightly beat the egg white with a fork. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the entire surface of the warm pie crust with the egg white (you will probably not use all the white). Then allow the pie shell to cool and the white to set. It will look glazed.

Slice the tomatoes into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, discarding the stem and root ends. Season the tomatoes with the salt and pepper.

Combine the mayonnaise with the egg yolk in a small bowl, and stir until smooth.

Sprinkle one third of the breadcrumbs over the bottom of the cooled pie crust. Layer half of the sliced tomatoes over the breadcrumbs in a circular pattern, and top with half of the sliced onions. Drizzle in half of the mayonnaise mixture, and top with half of the herbs, half of the Fontina, half of the mozzarella, and half of the remaining breadcrumbs. Make a second layer with the remaining tomato slices, onions, mayonnaise mixture, Fontina, mozzarella, and breadcrumbs. Drizzle the olive oil over the top, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

Bake the pie in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until it is bubbly hot and golden brown. Allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes or up to 5 hours before serving. This pie is at its best at room temperature.
6 to 8 servings

With tons of squash, comes tons of seeds. For all of you other squash fans out there, remember: don’t throw out your seeds!

Squash and pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas) are not only super tasty, but also super healthy! These seeds are loaded with healthy minerals, protein, and monounsaturated fats. What’s more, they’ve been shown to promote prostrate health, yield anti-inflammatory benefits for those suffering from arthritis, and lower cholesterol! That’s a lot of power in just a little seed!!

You may choose to roast your seeds, but I prefer to merely dry them, that way you don’t lose out on any of the aforementioned awesome health benefits from the raw seeds. (Roasting them at high temperatures can cause harmful heat oxidation.) Drying the seeds is super, duper easy, too! In fact, I’ve narrowed it down to six simple steps…and one of them is even eating the seeds!! It really can’t get much easier than that!

How to Dry (and Eat!) Raw Squash/Pumpkin Seeds:
1. Rinse the seeds, removing any remaining pulp.
2. Soak the seeds in a bowl or dish of clean water overnight, or for several hours.
3. Drain the seeds. Then, lay them in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle them with your favorite seasoning(s).

Everyone loves a mixture of cinnamon, date sugar, and a pinch of sea salt.

You can also go the savory route, too, of course. We’ve also tried a mix of curry powder, turmeric, and sea salt.

Set your oven to its lowest setting. Place the baking sheet in the oven until the seeds are dry (about an hour or two), flipping them with a spatula once or twice.

If you have a dehydrator, you could easily use this instead of the oven.
Nom away! If you have leftovers, store them in a glass jar. Then, when ready, simply shake (to remix the seasonings) and enjoy!

The Village Voice 8th Annual Choice Eats Tasting Event will feature 50+ handpicked restaurants from all five New York City boroughs on Friday, March 13th at Metropolitan Pavilion.

Guests will sample the best dishes from restaurants reviewed and heralded in the Village Voice along with complimentary craft beer pairings, wine and liquor beverages. Our resident food critics have scoured New York's culinary landscape and combined their tastiest picks from their several years of unearthing the five boroughs’ best-kept secrets.

Every March, Choice Eats attracts a very diverse group of New Yorkers who come to feast on cuisines from over 35 nations, including Vietnamese, Italian, Uzbekistani, Brazilian, Cambodian, Russian, Tunisian, Greek and Cajun/Creole among many others. Choice Eats stands out as a food event that highlights the hidden gems of New York City's diverse culinary landscape. Some past restaurants who have participated include Momofuku Milk Bar, Kuma Inn, The Meatball Shop, Luke's Lobster, Peppa's Jerk Chicken, Ovelia Psistaria, Del Posto, Tiffin Wallah, Jimmy's No. 43, Fletcher's BBQ and many more.